The 12th Andover (West) Scout Group
'The best'
Welcome to the 12th Andover (West) Scout Group website
COVID-19 Latest News (25/02/2021): The latest Government directive regarding the national lockdown still means that for now we are not allowed to hold face-to-face meetings at the HQ. After the recent Government announcement regarding the path out of lockdown we are unsure as to what this means for us at present. Once this is known and we have received the details from the Scout Association about what we do next we will let you know immediately. Our section leaders continue to be busy running online meetings this term and you can see the details on OSM if you need them. Please contact one of your leaders if you have not seen this or if you have any questions.
Scroll down or click ‘News & Events’ above for all our latest news ….
We are based in the Andover District in North Hampshire. Our Group meet at the Scout Hut on West Portway in Andover (see contact for more details).
Our group consists of Beaver, Cub & Scout sections and in addition, one of the District Explorer units also meets at our hut as well as a Networks section.
We have a great hut with lots of facilities, a large car park and a wonderfully large outside space that is fully and safely enclosed, allowing us to hold camps and many events within our own grounds.
The aim of the Scout Association is to promote the development of young people and help them achieve their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials as individual, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities.
This website is continuously being added to so please browse it regularly to find new information on the 12th Andover (West) Scout Group.
Latest News
Beavers & Cubs in Global Issues Camp over Half term
GLOBAL ISSUES CAMP The Beavers and the Cubs held a joint camp this weekend. As well as setting up their own camp and sleeping in it overnight they also had a large range of activities to get involved in. They enjoyed going on hikes, cooking, baking, cycling, playing games, helping at home and much more. Everyone was very busy and had lots of fun. During the weekend they had three visitors on Zoom, these were: – Life in the Rainforest The Beavers and Cubs were able to meet with Paul Carpenter on Zoom. Paul has travelled to rainforests all over the world searching for tarantula spiders, he even has one that he discovered named after him. The purpose of his trips is to study, photograph and film the insects, spiders and interesting fauna. His photos and videos gave everyone a fantastic insight into life in the rainforest. He then went on to show everyone a selection of the creatures that he breeds in captivity that can be found in the rainforest. Giant MillipedeLeaf insect Greenpeace Lea Weimann from Greenpeace joined us on Zoom. Everyone learnt about Greenpeace and the work that they do. They also found out all about plastic pollution particularly within our oceans and discussed ways in which they might be able to help with this. Zoo2U The Beavers and Cubs were joined by Stacey from Zoo2U and during the meeting they got to see a selection of endangered animals. Zoo2U are keen to raise awareness of endangered species and they certainly did a great job teaching everyone about all the animals that they had on show. ... read more12th Andover at the Winter Camp
Winter Camp Certificate It was clear that many of you had a great time taking part in so many activities at the recent Winter Camp. We really enjoyed seeing the Facebook posts from all our sections and you really got into the spirit of it, young people and parents. Lots of you also uploaded your work onto the Winter Camp website and I am pleased to tell you that the 12th finished in the top 200 groups countrywide – really well done everyone. Here are a few lines from an email we received from the camp organisers: “We were humbled by how well received the challenges were and by the huge volume of submissions, it was amazing! We have now been able to score all the entries that we received, there were literally thousands, and we are pleased to announce that: 12th Andover (West) scouts – Finished in the Top 200 of 686 teams.... read moreWinter Camp 2021 Online – Jan 15th to 17th
We cannot do a physical camp this winter of course but there is a fabulous virtual camp planned for this coming weekend across all scouting in the UK and your young person (and you) can take part. All sections can get involved and there are load of activities to do and badges to obtain so why not have a look and get involved. Here’s the link: https://www.wintercamp.org.uk/ Have fun and tell us on your section Facebook page what you get up... read more
The Beavers First Ever District Zoom Event
The local Beavers have taken part in the first ever district event held over Zoom, with an impressive 56 participants logging on. The evening was hosted by Dan Ball from The Army Flying Museum who taught the Beavers about a wide range of topics including the First and Second World War. They learnt about the two most famous connections to the Army Museum, Prince Harry and Tim Peak. Dan was able to show them many interesting artefacts including items of clothing from World War I and a “Rupert” (dummy soldier) used in World War II. The Beavers had lots and lots of questions to ask at the end of the evening and they received some very informative answers. Thank you to the 1st Andover, 4th Andover, 9th Andover, 12th Andover (West) and 23rd Andover for all attending this event. MINI MEDALS AT THE ANDOVER FLYING MUSEUM The Army Flying Museum were hosting an art project and the Beavers were invited to create their very own service medals. After they were all designed, coloured and cut out, they were delivered to The Army Flying Museum and will be displayed once the Museum is able to open again after... read more
What did the Cubs do during lockdown ?
‘The Great Indoors’ = 120! With face to face scouting abruptly ending in mid-March, the Cubs got busy with their latest adventure, ‘The Great indoors’. With lockdown firmly in place between March and May the program was altered to a series of weekly themed ‘remote’ activities including a St. George’s Day celebration, Birds of the World Challenge, sharing hobbies & Interests and Disability Awareness. Each week focussed on various tasks linked to a series of badge criteria. With the support of their wonderful parents, the Cubs busied themselves producing beautiful art work, wonderful bird feeders, nesting boxes, learnt basic sign language and shared their various hobbies and collections. The Cubs have also participated in national events such as ‘Clap for Carers’, VE day celebrations, contributed to #careforcarehomes, the ‘Hike to the Moon’ challenge and helped break a world record for ‘home’ camping alongside the rest of the group. As lockdown was systematically eased in June and July the Cubs have continued to show great resilience and enthusiasm by completing activities linked to ‘digital maker’ and the science badges via virtual Zoom meetings. Zoom enabled the Cubs to engage in ‘live’ events, providing a chance to reconnect with friends and return to some aspect of ‘normality’ through these exceptional times. The Cubs completed their roadside safety badge and took part in a rainbow themed scavenger hunt to promote scouting inclusivity. In total the Cubs have earned over 120 uniform badges during the lockdown period, a testament to their commitment, determination and perseverance during those testing times. As leaders we are incredibly proud of our Cubs where they have all drawn... read more